


Delicate

by coveredinthecolors



Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Harry Potter AU, Hogwarts AU, Minor Violence, discussions of prejudice against muggle borns/muggles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-04-26 11:09:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14400912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coveredinthecolors/pseuds/coveredinthecolors
Summary: After being forced to transfer to Hogwarts after her mother's death, Caroline's life becomes more and more troubling after she becomes one of the rare exceptions of a muggle born being sorted into Slytherin. Trying to deal with this new situation, she begins an unexpected friendship with Klaus Mikaelson, the son of a man who's trying to ban muggle borns from the Magical Community.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a late Birthday gift for Angie (thetourguidebarbie/Angelikah)

__This ain't for the best  
My reputation's never been worse  
So he must like me for me  


_ Delicate - Taylor Swift _

* * *

 

Caroline could feel all eyes on her.

She wasn’t unused to it, mind you. It seemed that everyone was constantly watching her ever since her mother had died four months ago. Everyone kept looking for the signs that indicated she would break.

Her father and Stephen had spent the entire summer sharing worried looks and walking on eggs around her. All her friends back in America had been the same. All the letters and random phone calls in the middle of the day… She had been looking forward to leave it all behind as school finally begun.

And it had felt like things would work just fine as she managed to sit alone in a cabin in the train. For those precious hours, she truly felt like she could be at peace.

She had just forgotten one small detail: she was now the only new student in Hogwarts who was not a freshman.

The entire Great Hall now seemed to be whispering about her, curious about why a tall blonde girl — who was definitely not 11 — was standing among the first years, waiting to be selected into one of the four houses.

School transferences were not a common thing, as she had found out during her process to leave Ilvermorny and join Hogwarts. Since all magical schools were boarding schools, even if a family moved away, the children usually kept attending the same place, magic always able to shorten the distances.

But Caroline’s parents were no-majs. Or muggles, as everyone seemed to say in the United Kingdom. So when Liz died and she had to move in with Bill and Stephen, who happened to be living in London… Well, they didn’t have the option to just travel by portkey to America and then back to the UK, and plane tickets weren’t exactly cheap. Not to mention all the complications she would face to hide all her magical material from the airport security.

So there she was.

She had left all her friends behind, her studies, the Thunderbird quidditch team… To now stand as nervous as she had been when she was 11 years old when her name was finally called.

Everyone’s confused faces returned to normal as the professor explained that she was a transferring student.

Caroline sat on the bench, her heart ringing fast and loud in her ears as she still felt everyone looking at her, even as the hat covered her eyes. She took a few deep, calming breaths, but the effect was ruined by the shiver that ran down her spine as a deep voice echoed inside her skull.

_ This is unusual. Your mind is not so young as the ones I am used to studying… This is less about who you could be and more about who you already are, I’m afraid. You’ve already done so much, haven’t you? Already decided everything… I can see how ambitious you are. _

She fought down the urge to snort as ask what was wrong with that? But the hat, of course, noticed that even though she controlled herself. It chuckled in her mind, making her bones tremble from within.

_ There is nothing wrong with that, child. I know just the place for you… It would be uncommon, of course… But it’s the only place where you’d reach your full potential… I’m sure you will be able to handle it well. _

Caroline was just about to ask what she would need to handle, but the hat’s voice was no longer in her head. Now it was echoing through the entire Great Hall, announcing its decision.

_ “Slytherin!” _

The hat was pulled from her head and she was denied even a second to make sure her face didn’t show how utterly shocked she was. Caroline was left staring at all those people, blinking her eyes to adjust to the sudden light.

Muggle-born. How the hell did it think that it could put her into Slytherin? Perhaps the Sorting Hat was losing its power from old age,  _ because that had to be a mistake _ .

Sure, perhaps she had identified with Slytherin and some of its values when she read Hogwarts: A History, but she had also immediately thought that it would be the last house she could ever be sorted in, since being pure-blooded seemed to be a pretty big deal for them.

And yet, Slytherin’s table was cheering for her, all faces with welcoming smiles.

Reluctantly, Caroline stood up and walked towards the table on the far left of the Hall, forcing a smile into her own lips as she sat down.

She was not yet settled in her seat when a boy with dark brown hair and eyes, and a mischievous grin sitting on her right began to ask her questions.

“So, Caroline, was it? I think we’re all dying to know why you were transferred to Hogwarts? I’m sure there must be an interesting story there.”

She didn’t have to look around to know that everyone had their eyes at her, expecting her to tell the most amazing adventure they’d ever heard. She wondered if she should lie, if she should tell them that she had been expelled or anything of the sort… Then she would be able to avoid the pity looks she would receive when they told them the truth.

Still, lying about her mother… Pretending that she was still alive… That didn’t seem right. She couldn’t do that.

“Nothing interesting,” she chose to say, instead. “I just moved in with my father who happens to live in London.”

There. Not a lie, not exactly.

“But why transfer to Hogwarts? Couldn’t you keep attending... What’s the name of the American school? Ilvermorny?” a blonde girl who was sitting across from her asked, her lips curling into a saccharine smile at the world ‘American’, as if that was an offense. Caroline rolled her eyes, which made the girl’s gaze become icy. “I’m Rebekah, by the way. Rebekah  _ Mikaelson _ . And that’s my twin brother, Kol.”

She said their surname as if its was supposed to mean something and was clearly offended by how Caroline just shrugged. “Nice to meet you, Rebekah. And, to answer your question, since I’m living in the UK anyway, it would be easier to go to Hogwarts than it would be to go to Ilvermorny.”

She made sure she used her most condescending tone, like she was explaining it to a five-year old, ending her sentence in an obviously fake smile. She immediately decided that she didn’t care at all for this girl’s attitude.

Rebekah, however, only narrowed her eyes at her, clearly deciding not to back down. Beside her, Kol was making a bet with a brunette girl about who would win that argument. Something about how “Bekah might have finally met her opponent”, to which the other girl replied, “She’s not done yet.” On Rebekah’s side, a blond boy with strikingly blue eyes sighed, as if he was tired of this little fight already. 

“Well, I don’t know how things are done in  _ America _ , but here we have something called portkeys, or apparition... I’m sure there are a million ways to live in London and still continue to attend an American school.”

Should she just tell them the truth? She didn’t owe any of them an explanation… But why should she lie about who she was? About who her parents were? She wasn’t ashamed of them. She shouldn’t have to be ashamed of them.

So she took a deep breath,

“As I’m sure you know, a minor could not use any of these means of transportation unaccompanied, and since my father wouldn’t be able to help me… Here I am.”

Rebekah’s eyes lit up with amusement. “Oh, your father is a muggle.”

“Yes, he is,” Caroline said aggressively. Her relationship with her father was far from being great, but she would not let anyone say shit about him. Especially because of something so ridiculous as his non-magical status.

“And what about your mother?” the girl insisted. “She lives in America, doesn’t she? Certainly it wouldn’t be that hard for her to help you be where you needed to be.”

Caroline took a deep breath, ignoring the sharp pain in her chest she felt whenever someone mentioned her mother.

“She wouldn’t be able to help me either,” she said simply, still omitting the part  _ even if she were alive.  _ Better to admit that she was muggle-born than to talk about her mother.

She saw the shock in Rebekah’s face and looked around to see that everyone seemed to have the same expression. Even Kol had abandoned the mischief in his eyes to allow surprise to take its place. Everyone seemed to be unsure what to do or say now she had revealed who she was… Everyone except a boy sitting beside Rebekah.

He had been quiet the whole time, looking rather impatient and annoyed by the whole thing, and Caroline had figured — by the “prefect” badge on his clothes — that he thought he was too important to be involved in such small matters. But now... Now he had his eyes on her. His very blue, very sharp eyes. And she had his undivided attention. She had never felt so bare under someone else’s gaze. He was handsome, she noticed, with his stubble and full lips and dirty blond hair. He was the only one not looking at her in shock, but with an almost childlike curiosity. As if he could not understand her.

Caroline held his gaze, almost challenging him to look at her the way everyone else seemed to be doing. He didn’t falter, not for a single second.

“What?” Rebekah managed to say, her voice slightly high-pitched, unknowingly or uncaringly interrupting that staring match. “You mean to say you are muggle-born?”

She swallowed, her palms beginning to sweat. “Yes, I’m muggle-born.”

Rebekah began to laugh, a few others joined her. The boy sitting beside her didn’t.

“Surely you must be joking. There aren’t muggle-borns in Slytherin. It’s against the rules,” she insisted.

Caroline shrugged, “Well, there is one now. Deal with it.”

“But there shouldn’t be any!” Rebekah nearly cried out.

The boy beside her laughed quietly, “Come now, dear sister, it’s not unheard of. When Finn was in Hogwarts he studied with a muggle-born in Slytherin, don’t you remember?”

Caroline frowned. Was he standing up for her? Even if apparently he was Rebekah’s brother?

“But Finn didn’t have to share a dorm room with him, Nik! I will have to share with her! That’s not fair.”

Caroline snorted, crossing her arms in front of her body. “Oh, great. My roommate is the wizarding world equivalent of a racist. Awesome.”

Everyone around her gasped. Except Rebekah’s brothers. Kol spit out the juice he was drinking as he began to laugh, and Nik _— that was what Rebekah had said, right? Was that how he was actually called or just a nickname? Why was she so interested about this?_ — smiled, his eyes meeting hers again. She couldn’t read them.

“Excuse me?” Rebekah said, offended.

“Well, you are saying that you don’t want to share a room with me just because I’m muggle-born, aren’t you? What’s next? Are you going to call me a mudblood?”

Rebekah didn’t answer. The principal began his speech, and she spent the entire time frowning, looking down at her empty plate. Caroline still felt eyes on her and still heard the whispers. She ignored them, trying to focus on the words that were being said, trying to absorb the rules and the names of the professors.

Her mind wouldn’t shut up, though.  _ From the motherless girl to the muggle-born in Slytherin…  _ And to think that she used to be jealous of all the attention Elena would get.

She had to fight down the urge to cry as she thought about her friend. She missed her and Bonnie. She missed Ilvermorny.

Caroline stayed silent the rest of dinner. Ignoring Kol’s jokes at her expense, ignoring how Rebekah was ignoring her, and ignoring Nik’s eyes on her.

* * *

 

She found out that she would share the room with Rebekah and the brunette girl Kol had been betting with, Katerina Petrova. Or Katherine, as she preferred to be called. She was just as rude as Rebekah, but Caroline wasn’t sure if that had to be with her magical blood status or if she was like that with everyone.

“That is your bed,” Rebekah said simply, pointing to the one near the window. She had been quiet since dinner, and her voice was now indifferent, as if nothing had happened. “The bathroom is just down the hall.”

Caroline nodded, trying to decide whether she should thank the girl for the information despite her behavior earlier, but spent too long thinking about it, until it was too late and it would be awkward to say it.

“If you touch any of my stuff, I will make you pay,” Katherine warned her, arms crossed in front of her body and a hard stare that made Caroline roll her eyes. “Do you understand me?”

“Don’t worry, I doubt we share the same style,” she said, looking the girl up and down, even though they were wearing the same uniform.

Katherine arched her brows, almost as if saying that two could play that game, “So do I. My clothes have personality, you see. Unlike your grandma cardigans and summer dresses.”

Caroline didn’t ask how she knew what she liked to wear, knowing that Katherine must had seen her in the train station while she was still in her human clothes.

She shrugged, “It’s because I don’t have to compensate for a lack of actual personality.”

Katherine opened her mouth to reply, but Rebekah sighed loudly. “Oh, shut up the both of you. I’m tired, let’s just go to sleep.”

“All right, Mikaelson,” Katherine said, rolling her eyes. “We wouldn’t want you to miss on your beauty sleep.”

Caroline watched silently the both of them as she searched for her pajamas. They were clearly close friends, she could see in the way they talked and looked at each other. Completely in sync.

She wondered if she had ever felt like that with anyone… She loved Bonnie and Elena, they had been immediate friends since first year, but she wondered if anyone would ever look at them and see what she saw in Katherine and Rebekah. She suddenly felt very alone.

She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. She didn’t want to cry anymore, but her eyes were filled with tears anyway. She couldn’t stop thinking about her mother. About when Mr. Saltzman had called her to his office to give her the news.

A car accident. Something so ridiculously normal it was almost infuriating.

Caroline had believed she was special when she found out she was a witch. She was extraordinary… The world was now full of wonders and excitement and literally magic… But her mother died in an ordinary car crash.

And now she all alone in a foreign country, with people whispering about her and treating her like she was sick just because she wasn’t born into this world.

She muffled a sob in her pillow, praying that the other girls were asleep.

* * *

 

_ ARE MUGGLES DANGEROUS? _

_ After the murder of Henrik Mikaelson, the wizard community begins to question whether we have been too lenient towards muggles and their crimes towards us. The persecution that wizards and witches have faced from those who do not possess magic should be ignored? _

_ The Chief of the Sigil Department in the Ministry, Mikael Mikaelson, has spoken exclusively to The Daily Prophet about the murder of his son and what he believes the government should do about it: _

_ “As a father, I cannot allow the murder of my son to go unpunished. I cannot accept that what happened to my family will be ignored. The Minister has to do something about the crimes of muggles and they must pay for what they’ve done to my son. Every year, we allow thousands of muggle-borns around the world to enter our world and take advantage of our abilities, but in return, their kind is committing genocide against us. The Minister must do something about this, or pass his job to someone who will.” _

_ When asked about who he believed would be fit to be the new Minister, Mikaelson was adamant on his choice: “Only Silas Petrova can take us to this new era, where our children will not have to suffer the consequences of our lenience.” _

“Hello, gorgeous,” someone said from behind her, startling Caroline as her concentration was broken. She dropped the newspaper back on the table, turning around to meet a boy who seemed to be about her age, with brown eyes and hair and Gryffindor colours on his tie.

“Uh, hi,” she said, a questioning look on her face.

He grinned at her, offering her his hand, which she shook. “I’m Enzo.”

“Caroline,” she offered, frowning as he moved to sit beside her. She was pretty sure that people couldn’t sit at the table of houses that weren’t their own, but he seemed to be at ease with his actions, so she didn’t ask.

“I know. I’ve heard all about you… The entire school has, actually. Rebekah and Katherine were very loudly bitching about it when they came for breakfast. Also, the fact that your presence alone made them wake up earlier so they could avoid you… I’m impressed, really.”

She arched her brows and said, a bit more acidly than she had intended, “Yeah, their bigotry is  _ really _ impressive.”

Enzo’s smile left his face, his eyes growing serious. “Kol told me about how Rebekah acted last night, and I believe I’d be correct in my assumption that Katherine was just as bad?” Caroline nodded, and he sighed, shaking his head. “Look, you must understand, they’re not…”

She raised her hand to stop him, “If you’re going to defend them, then you can leave. Besides, if you’re friends with her brother, then you probably shouldn’t try to be friends with me, anyway.”

“I’m not trying to defend them. It’s just… complicated. But, all right, let’s not talk about them anymore,” he added quickly when he saw her face. “Also, I’m not  _ friends _ with Kol,” Enzo said, smirking and winking at her. “And I can assure you that he will not be an asshole to you. Well, scratch that. He is an asshole 24/7, but I can assure you he won’t be an asshole because of your parents.”

Caroline made herself relax a little bit, trying to lose a bit of the defensive stance she was in. Enzo seemed to be a good person, she just hoped he was there because he was trying to be nice, not because he was curious about the muggle-born Slytherin.

“Well, that’s good to hear, I guess” she said, offering him a small smile.

She heard a snort from across the table, and turned to see Rebekah’s other brother sitting there. “That’s because you don’t know my brother and how impertinent and annoying he can be, love.”

“Klaus,” Enzo greeted. “I didn’t see you there.”

“Klaus?” Caroline asked before she could stop herself, a frown on her face. Both boys turned to look at her amusedly, making her blush. “I just… I thought Rebekah had called you Nik?” she tried to justify herself, fighting down the urge to groan as she realized that only meant she had been paying attention.

“Niklaus,” he explained, offering her his hand to shake. “But I prefer Klaus, if you don’t mind.” 

In the many, many novels Caroline had read, there seemed to always be this moment where the protagonist’s and their love interest’s skin would touch and something like electricity would run through them, startling their hearts and making their breaths hitch. She had never quite believed in those moments, chalking it up to poetic license. Up until now, that is. Up until her hand touched his and she found herself with widened eyes, searching his gaze to see if he had felt that, too. A smirk on his face was the only answer she could find. She didn’t quite know what it meant.

“Nice to meet you,” she said politely, suddenly too aware that Enzo was sitting right beside her, watching her like a hawk and seemingly reading her way too well, if the clear amusement all over his face was anything to go by.

“Lorenzo,” Klaus said, turning his attention the boy, glaring at him. “I believe you shouldn’t be sitting here, now, should you?”

Enzo sighed, raising his hands. “I’m leaving. I just wanted to meet Caroline here,” he said, already standing up, then looked at her, “I’ll catch up with you later, gorgeous.”

She wanted to ask him to stay, not sure what to do now that she was alone with Klaus and his gaze was back on her. She averted her eyes, focusing on finishing her breakfast and choosing to let him speak if he wanted to.

“May I ask you a question, Caroline?” he asked. She shivered at the way he pronounced her name, how the letters rolled off his tongue so carefully.

“Sure.”

He hesitated, probably waiting for her to look up at him, but she didn’t, still very much focused on her cereal. “Why did you do that last night?”

“Did what?” she asked, frowning.

“Tell everyone you are muggle-born. It would have been much simpler to just lie, wouldn’t it? Your life would be infinitely easier.”

Caroline’s eyes did meet his this time. “I didn’t want to lie.”

His smirk was less teasing and more infuriating this time. “A Slytherin that doesn’t lie? Perhaps the Sorting Hat has put you in the wrong house, after all.”

She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Perhaps he wasn’t so different from his sister, after all. Perhaps he thought she didn’t belong there either. It somehow just made her more determined to prove to everyone that she did.

“And lying to please others would be a Slytherin attitude in your opinion?”

He shrugged, “If it would benefit you.”

“It would not benefit me to lie about this. I am not ashamed of who I am, I won’t lie about who I am. No one should have to.”

She half-expected him to laugh at her sentimentalism, but instead he began to look at her the same way he had last night, with that same curiosity. Like he wanted so desperately to understand her, but he just couldn’t.

“I see,” it was all he said. She wasn’t sure that he did.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence, Caroline returning her attention to her breakfast even if she could still feel his eyes on her.

She could not understand him. She could not understand the Mikaelsons at all, actually. Kol had been annoying, though not necessarily rude, but he didn’t do anything to defend her either. Rebekah had been offensive and mean, but the moment Caroline had pointed out she was being a bigot, she had seemed to falter in her attitude, as if she hadn’t meant to be like that, but that was just the way things were. And Klaus… She thought he had tried to stand up for her last night, or at the very least tried to calm his sister and make her stop… And now there he was, asking her why she had told everyone the truth and seeming so dedicated in understanding her.

And there was the matter of their brother. Caroline hadn’t had the chance to even process that information before Enzo came to talk to her… She tried to think about it. If her mother had been murdered by a wizard only because she wasn’t one, would Caroline have grown to hate all wizards? She liked to think that she wouldn’t.

Without noticing, her eyes settled on the newspaper, and she suddenly felt the itch to finish reading the article, as if that could help her understand those people a little better. Klaus’s gaze followed hers.

“Do you mind?” he asked, gesturing to the newspaper, and Caroline shook her head, watching him carefully as he began to read.

He gritted his teeth, his hands flexing as if they wanted nothing more than to crumble the paper in his hand or tear it into a thousand pieces. He was fuming. She didn’t know if she should say or do something. She didn’t really know him and that clearly had to do with his family, so she didn’t want to intrude. She stayed silent.

When his eyes met hers again, they were cold. “You must excuse me, sweetheart. I’m afraid I’ll be late for class.”

He walked away, leaving her alone with her ever-growing confusion.

* * *

 

Caroline couldn’t sleep.

It was one of those days where grief was eating her up from the inside. She could not stop thinking about her mother. She could not stop thinking about her new life at Hogwarts. She could not stop thinking.

Her brain wouldn’t shut up.

She had been here for nearly three weeks already, and things didn’t seem to be getting any better.

Most of her peers from Slytherin ignored her. Even Rebekah and Katherine. They pretended like she wasn’t there at all, like she was invisible. They would exchange words with her only if it was absolutely necessary. In the beginning, Caroline had been thankful that she wouldn’t have to fight and hear disrespectful things every second of every day, but this loneliness was somehow even worse.

Kol and Enzo were the only ones who would speak to her without a care. They were batshit crazy and her eye rolling had skyrocketed ever since she’d met them, but she couldn’t say she didn’t enjoy the moments she spent with them. At the very least, they kept her entertained whenever they were together and managed to make her smile and forget her worries.

Still, she didn’t want to intrude on  _ their  _ time. She didn’t want them to feel like they had to be with her because she was oh-so-sad-and-lonely. So she would distance herself every now and then, even if she longed for those moments of almost normalcy.

And then… Well, and then there was Klaus. And Caroline didn’t know what to make of him. 

He was never rude to her, never said the wrong thing per se. But he wasn’t exactly a friendly face in a crowd either.

He was charming. He would always talk to her when they sat close to each other at the table in the Great Hall or in the Common Room, or he would always at least smile at her if they walked passed each other in the halls. But there was something about him she didn’t understand. He still looked at her in that same way. Curious, confused. When they talked, he would always ask her questions that left her mind hurting. Questions about her decision to tell everyone who she was, questions about who she was, where she came from, what she wanted.

Klaus was obviously really making an effort to know her, to understand her… And she couldn’t figure out  _ why _ .

Was she just interesting to him because of her muggle born status? Was it because she had the courage to tell everyone who she was even if she knew of the consequences? Was it because he  _ liked _ her?

Caroline truly couldn’t tell.

And amidst all of that, every day more and more news came about his father and his views on muggle borns and their dangers. About the murder of Henrik and what should be done about it.

His views appalled her. His ideas made her feel sick. It was clear that he was an extremist and that, if he could, he would exterminate all muggle borns. Perhaps all muggles.

She tried to imagine how being raised by a man like that would influence her view of the world. It didn’t excuse the Mikaelson’s — especially Rebekah’s — behaviour, but she didn’t just blame them anymore. Perhaps she could even grow to feel some sympathy for them if they showed they wanted to change.

Kol had, anyway. And Klaus… The jury was still out, she supposed.

Or at least that was how she felt until her insomnia made her leave bed far too early on that Saturday morning.

The sun was already beginning to appear, the first rays of light already making its way through the curtains and just barely illuminating the room with an orange light. Only just enough so that Caroline could find her clothes.

_ It’s technically not night anymore,  _ she reasoned with herself as she stepped out of the Common Room.

Her steps echoed loudly through emptiness of the dungeons, but it felt oddly empowering not having to fight the urge to lower her head to avoid the curious eyes.

She walked around aimlessly, just exploring the castle.  _ Hogwarts: A History  _ told her that there were many secrets to be uncovered in that place, and she was feeling adventurous this morning. She would open every door she came across, peeking inside to see if she would find anything interesting. Most of them were just empty classrooms, some of them were broom closets, some of them indeed have weird things inside of them — like a room full of toilet seats when she was just in need of going to the bathroom, or an empty room with a single wardrobe in the middle of it. But all of them, without exception, were unlocked.

Except for one of the doors she tried.

A door she was pretty sure she had never seen before even though she walked through that particular corridor almost every day.

It was made of a dark blue stone, and there were silver engravings of every phase of the moon in it, stars shining all over it. It was beautiful. Caroline would’ve most definitely noticed it before if she had seen it. Which meant she hadn’t. Which meant there was a secret to be uncovered there.

She took a deep breath, trying to remember if there was any room that was forbidden to the students on the east side of the fourth floor, but she didn’t remember anyone mentioning it. So she shrugged, taking her wand from her inside pocket.

“ _ Alohomora! _ ”

Caroline tried turning the doorknob again. The door opened up.

She pushed it hesitatingly, trying to keep herself ready in case there was something in there that tried to attack. She had heard all sorts of stories about what happened in Hogwarts, after all.

But there was no threat, no incredible adventure, no amazing discovery about Hogwarts.

There was only a boy sitting against a wall. Not just a boy…  _ Klaus _ .

He was staring at her in complete shock, his eyes opened wide and lips parted. She would’ve almost said he looked cute if it weren’t for the cuts and bruises she could see in his arms, in his uncovered torso.

_ Right, he’s only wearing his pants,  _ Caroline thought, unable to keep a faint blush from staining her cheeks even as her eyes scanned his injuries.

She frowned. What could’ve happened to leave him like this? Surely no one would’ve hurt him, his family was too important, and she knew Klaus had enough of a reputation that no one would dare mess with him.

So how could that boy that always looked so full of himself, so damn important, now seemed almost fragile?

Caroline gasped as the answer came to her.

The moon engravings on the door… She tried to think about her Astronomy classes… It was a full moon right now, was it not?

And in that moment she understood. She understood the way he looked at her, why he was always asking her those questions. He didn’t want to know what it was like to be different. He knew it all too well. No, he wanted to know what it was like for everyone to know that you were different. What it felt like when everyone whispered about you in front of you and behind your back.

Because Klaus Mikaelson was a werewolf.

And if everyone knew… If everyone knew then he would be treated just like she was being treated. Worse, perhaps.

He was still looking at her and she was still looking at him. None of them knew what to say.

Caroline knew she had two options: she could close the door now, walk away and pretend that nothing had happened. Or she could walk inside and deal with this. And force him to deal with this.

She found the answer to what she should do in his eyes, in the loneliness she found in them. It matched her own.

She took a step forward, closed the door behind her, then took another and another, getting closer and closer to him. He kept staring at her, his eyes hard, as if he were ready for her to attack him and he was ready to defend himself.

But Caroline just sat beside him, her right arm touching his left arm. She saw him turn his head to look at her by the corner of her eyes, but she kept looking straight ahead.

Blindly, she scoured the floor, searching for his hand, grabbing it.

She heard his breath hitch. If she had looked, she would’ve seen how his shoulders had tensed, how absolutely lost he was feeling. But she only felt how he intertwined their fingers, squeezing her hand once.

She squeezed it back.

None of them said a word, they didn’t have to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this!

The burning feeling on her skin had nothing to do with the sun.

Klaus was staring at her.

Caroline could feel his gaze on her as she tried to focus on a conversation about broomsticks that she was having with Enzo and Kol, trying very hard and failing not to notice his presence a few feet away from where they were sitting on the grass.

Did he think she would slip? That she would so carelessly reveal his secret?

_ “I won’t tell anyone”, _ she had promised when she’d finally given in and looked into his worried eyes the day she’d found him alone in that room.

He had nodded, his voice quiet as he’d said,  _ “Thank you.” _

Did he think she had lied?

The offending thought made her look at him… Only to be met by his curious eyes. He was sitting against a tree, a few friends around him, though he seemed to be ignoring them. She nearly scoffed. He was still hell-bent in understanding her, it seemed. 

He smirked at her annoyance — and she  _ was  _ annoyed, though mainly because she could not stop herself from blushing —, making her roll her eyes and avoid his gaze once more as she tried to tune back into the conversation she was supposed to be having.

Warmth spread inside her chest despite her better judgement.

Caroline didn’t care much for being regarded as a puzzle. But the thought of him being so dedicated into putting the pieces together was… strangely good. No one had ever tried to. Not really.

She wondered if he felt the same way.

No one had paid enough attention to him, either. Otherwise, the rumours about him would have already started.

But he was just Klaus Mikaelson. Captain of the Slytherin quidditch team, prefect, best student in the transfiguration class, ten O.W.L.s… A  _ Mikaelson _ .

His last name seemed to be all he needed to get by, but he still excelled in everything else. As did his siblings. All of them were remarkable. No flaw could be found in the Mikaelson family.

Rebekah was a snob, but the Charms professor would not stop singing her praises. Caroline often found herself in non-official competitions with her roomate for who would get more points for their house for answering the questions in a class.

Kol was famous for his mischief — and for never getting caught for any of it — but even the professors would admit to his natural talent and quick wit. He learned things fast, effortlessly.

They seemed perfect.

But Caroline knew better than anyone what it was like to put on a façade to the world. To pretend everything was fine even if your life was falling apart.

She had not told anyone about her mother yet.

And she hadn’t asked any of the Mikaelsons about their brother, either.

She had spent hours with Klaus that day, all the questions she had about his family had been gathering inside of her, begging to be asked. But she had not dared to break that peaceful silence.

Next thing she knew, he was saying that she should probably go before the nurse came to find him, and she only made him that single promise before walking away.

The few talks they had shared ever since had not developed further than quick pleasantries.

It had been over two weeks since that day. And it was driving her crazy that she hadn’t had the opportunity to get the answers she wanted.

“Earth to Caroline,” Kol called, his eyes filled with that ever-present amusement.

She blinked a few times, trying to focus. “Sorry, what?”

“I asked if you could help me with my Potions work,” Enzo repeated himself. “Everyone’s saying how good you are at it, so I thought maybe you could give me a hand?”

She rolled her eyes at his blatant attempt at endearing her to help him. She knew no one was saying anything about how good she was — though, of course, she was excellent at it, thank you very much —, since they were still too busy gasping over the fact that she was a muggle-born in Slytherin, but she agreed to it all the same.

Kol stated that conversation was too boring for him and began to talk excitedly about going to Hogsmeade soon and all the things they could do while they were there.

She asked herself, not for the first time, if her cheerful friend knew about his brother. If Rebekah did.

They seemed to have a close relationship, from what she had gathered, but she wasn’t sure.

And, really, it was none of her business. But she was curious. And Kol was her friend, and Klaus... 

That day with him had been the first time she had not felt lonely in a very long while.

She could not shake the feeling that he felt the same.

* * *

 

Caroline winced when she heard the yelling.

A voice that was unmistakably Klaus’s was echoing loudly through the corridors and she quickened her step to find out what was happening.

Two first years were looking genuinely scared as he threatened to punish them for whatever misbehaviour they had partaken in.

She was pretty certain that it had been a minor offence and that he was only taking his anger out on them. And she was pretty certain she knew what he was angry about.

His eyes registered her presence and he barked at the two boys to leave. They ran fast past her.

For a moment, as he looked at her, he seemed unsure as to what to do. As to whether he should run away from her too, or if he should stay. They both knew that staying would be the harder option, that it would lead to the conversation they had been postponing for a while now.

Klaus sighed, but took a few steps towards her.

Her eyes analyzed every inch of his face before taking in his tense shoulders.

“He knows,” she said, guessing the reason for all of this.

Because this morning’s Daily Prophet featured another  _ lovely _ interview with Mr. Mikaelson. An interview where he went on and on about how difficult and unpredictable and dangerous werewolves were. About the bills he was planning to pass that would make it much more difficult for these “wild beasts” to get jobs and live in society, a place where they definitely didn’t belong.

Klaus clenched his jaw as he nodded, looking away from her.

“I’m sorry,” was all she could offer.

He scoffed. “I don’t need your pity.”

Caroline rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her body. She didn’t care if he was having a difficult day, there was no reason to be rude to her when she was just being nice. “It’s called empathy, actually. I assume you are familiar with the concept?”

Some amusement twinkled in his eyes at her reply.

“Ah, I’ve heard about it. My father likes to say it is something for fools.”

She snorted. “Yes, and your father is such a great man. Did he tell you to call me a mudblood, too?”

Surprise lit up his face at her words. She supposed that no one had ever said ill about Mikael to him. Not when he was so important in the British magical community.

“I would never do that,” he said, his voice serious.

She believed him.

Caroline sighed, trying to think what to say to him now that she had the opportunity. “Look, your father is an asshole, and what he says isn’t true at all. You know that, right? What he says about people like me and people like you… He’s wrong. He’s wrong about all of that.”

“I know,” he breathed, taking one step closer to her. His eyes were impossibly blue. “He’s a vicious bastard who likes to make people miserable.”

Even with everything that Mikael did and said, the hatred in his voice still caught her by surprise, but she found herself nodding anyway.

“I wouldn’t put it like that, but yeah, exactly.”

Klaus didn’t return the smile she offered him, but his eyes became softer.

She felt herself blushing, suddenly realising how close they were standing. She looked down to avert his gaze, and reached to tuck in a curl behind her ear. Her heart was beating faster.

Right. So maybe she was beginning to nurture a small crush on him. Just maybe.

Steps and laughter began to echo down the hallway and they quickly put some distance between them, scared that someone might decided to walk in their direction.

He cleared his throat. “I should probably go,” he said sheepishly, but quickly took one of her hands in his, bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Thank you, Caroline.”

Klaus smirked at her sharp intake of breath, winking at her as he started to walk away.

“Wait!” she called, and he dutifully stopped and looked at her over his shoulders. “I have questions.”

Her voice was demanding, and he found himself enjoying it a little too much.

“Meet me by the stairs at the seventh floor tonight after dinner.”

Caroline bit down the urge to tell him that would be breaking the rules, her curiosity getting the best of her.

* * *

 

Caroline was distracted during dinner.

Just like she had been distracted yesterday when they were out in the castle grounds with Enzo, Kol noticed.

And same as then, she was now looking at his brother whenever she thought no one was noticing… And Nik was doing the exact same thing.

A smile played on his lips.

_ Now, isn’t that just lovely? _

“What is it?” Katherine asked, her eyebrows arched.

He grinned at her, “Nothing, Kit-Kat. Nothing at all.”

She scoffed, shaking her head as she closed her manicured hands around the glass of Pumpkin juice as if she were holding a champagne flute in one of her father’s important dinner parties.

Kol shrugged when she glared at him, hating not knowing the latest gossip — hating that  _ he _ knew it and she didn’t.

He wouldn’t risk telling her, though. Not when she would go straight to Rebekah with the information… And even if that would be immensely entertaining, he figured he owed it to Caroline to let her have some peace.

Besides, he knew nothing was really going on. Not yet. Not if they were still working so hard on not getting caught by the other when their eyes would wander.

But still, if their father found out… He grimaced. Those stolen glances would be more than enough to damn his brother. And Caroline would get caught in the crossfire.

Just his friendship with her was dangerous enough. He wouldn’t put it past Mikael to somehow force the headmaster to expel her so that she wouldn’t share Rebekah’s bedroom.

No.

It was better no one found out about what was going on here. He would talk to Nik later and sort this out.

Kol forced these thoughts out of his mind when Caroline caught him staring at her. He smiled knowingly at her and gave her a wink. She rolled her eyes dramatically and focused her attention on her plate for the rest of the dinner.

Klaus took it as an opportunity to look at her unabashedly.

It was Kol’s turn to roll  _ his _ eyes.

* * *

 

When Klaus got to the seventh floor, she was already waiting for him.

He had managed to get rid of Marcel and Lucien by pretending he had forgotten something in the Great Hall, and he was sure he would be able to come up with a passable story as to why it took him so long to go back to Slytherin’s Common Room.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” she said, though he could tell it was mostly teasingly.

Honestly, he wasn’t quite sure why he  _ had _ come. He didn’t owe her anything, and he knew she wasn’t enough of a cruel person to tell his secret to the entire school only because he hadn’t given her the answers she wanted.

And yet, there he was, a smile playing on his lips as he said, “Have a little faith in me, sweetheart. I did promise I’d come, didn’t I?”

She grinned at him and his heart raced just a little inside his chest.

God, what this girl could do to him.

The first time he had seen her, he had thought her just to be a beautiful thing. Perhaps interesting because she was a transferring student and he had never met one, but no more than that.

And then she began bickering with his sister and, well, her quick wit was charming, he supposed. It was fun to see someone so completely unimpressed by one of the Mikaelsons and someone who could hold their own against Rebekah… Inevitably, he had enjoyed her more at that moment.

But it wasn’t until she admitted to be muggle-born in a table full of pure blood elitists, holding her chin high and refusing to back down from them, that he began to truly admire her.

Caroline Forbes was indeed something to behold as she held her own against every joke at her expense, every horrifying comment.

He envied that.

Envied her freedom, the way she did not have to carry the weight of a secret on her shoulders, how utterly fearless she was.

“Well? Isn’t it a little risky for us to stay here?” she asked, gesturing around them, needlessly pointing out that anyone walking any of the stairs up high or down below could see them.

Klaus nodded. “We’re not staying here. Come on.”

He led them through the left corridor until he suddenly stop in front of a bare wall.

Caroline raised her eyebrows at him, “Uh, this is not much better.”

“Patience would do you some good, love,” he said, before he gestured for her to step back.

She was frowning. “My mom used to tell me that.”

“Wise woman,” he joked. Her face did not soften.

He tried to ignore the awkward silence by beginning to walk a few steps down the corridor before returning to his place. He did it three times. Caroline watched him as if he were insane, but her jaw dropped when a door suddenly appeared.

Klaus smirked as he opened up the door to let her in, “Ladies first.”

“If there is some sort of monster or something dangerous in there, I’m going to kill you.”

He chuckled as she walked past him and into the room. “I’d never put you in danger, love.”

He took a few moments to marvel at what that place had become. He had wished for somewhere quiet and comfortable, somewhere where they wouldn’t be interrupted or found unless they wanted to be.

The Room of Requirement had, of course, delivered.

It was a small room. There were bookshelves on the walls and a couch and two armchairs facing the burning fireplace. There was a small center table with a teapot and two cups.

“What is it with you and secret rooms?” Caroline asked as she took it all in.

“Well, I’m a man with secrets, as you know. So it’s only fitting.”

He had meant to say it jokingly, but it made her shoulders tense as she was reminded as to why they were there.

Klaus closed the door behind him as she moved to sit on the couch. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t chosen to sit right next to her, and not in one of the armchairs, just because he enjoyed her reaction to having him close a little too much.

She cleared her throat, looking away for a moment to hide the little tells of what he was making her feel. He smirked.

“So,” Caroline began, “why don’t we start at the beginning? How did you become a werewolf?”

It was his turn to avoid her gaze.

He knew the question was coming, but it still didn’t make it any easier to keep at bay the memories that threatened to flood his mind. “That is the one question I am not answering you, Caroline.”

It was a secret he would never share.

Klaus had somehow felt comfortable enough with her to not hate the fact that she knew about him being a werewolf, to even enjoy having someone else know it. That morning she had spent by his side, holding his hand and just being there… No one had ever done that for him.

Rebekah would offer him sympathetic smiles the day after a full moon. Kol would go easy on his jokes. Finn and Elijah would pretend everything was normal.

But no one had ever sat with him as his body recovered from the pain.

So having her with him that day had felt good. And looking into her eyes and seeing understanding and not pity had been even better.

And he knew, he was absolutely certain that she would never tell anyone. Even before she had promised it to him.

But even so, what had happened on that night… No, he would not tell Caroline that.

She must have seen it in his face that there was no way she was getting that answer from him tonight, so she nodded. “All right, then. Can you tell me who else knows?”

“Well, the school nurse and the headmaster do. Besides my family… Though, it would be better if my siblings were not aware of your knowledge about me. My father would not be pleased if he knew that the Mikaelson’s dark secret has leaked. It would be bad for his political campaign, you see.”

“That’s a shame, I thought that would be a great way to make friends with your sister,” she said teasingly, though her eyes were still assessing him. “You really don’t like your father, do you?”

Klaus let out a bitter laugh. “You could say that, yes.”

“Why?” she inquired. No judgement, only ever curiosity in her voice.

He sighed, “Do I need a better reason than the fact that he’s a bigoted lunatic?”

Some amusement and relief dance in her eyes. He wondered if she was afraid that he secretly endorsed his father’s ideas.

“Well, I mean, no. But Rebekah doesn’t seem to have a problem with it, so I thought maybe-”

“Rebekah doesn’t support him,” he cut her off.

Caroline scoffed. “Yeah, I find that a little bit hard to believe. And considering I’m the muggle born who lives with her, you have to admit that I should be the one to judge that.”

“She doesn’t dislike you because she thinks all muggle-borns are inferior to pure-blooded wizards. She just… It’s been hard for her. After Henrik.”

His gaze met hers, hoping that she recognized the name from the article she had been reading weeks ago so that he wouldn’t have to explain.

Her face softened. “I’m sorry about your brother.”

Klaus swallowed, nodding once. He didn’t want to talk about Henrik. He could not talk about Henrik.

“Thank you,” he said, hating that his voice faltered. “What I mean to say is that Rebekah is scared. She doesn’t think muggles are useless or worthless. She thinks that they could be a threat to those she love, and she wants to defend us from that threat.”

“Which would be me.”

He nodded, “Exactly. I’m not excusing her behaviour, because I am certain she has been… Well,—”

“A total bitch.”

His lips twitched. “I suppose that would be a good way to describe it. But she’s not doing it because of prejudice against who your parents are.”

Caroline sighed.

“Your family really is fucked up, isn’t it?”

He could stop himself from smiling. “You have no idea.”

This shouldn’t be so easy, should it? He shouldn’t just want to talk to her about his family, shouldn’t want to tell her all these things. But it was easy, and it did feel good to talk to her, to just sit here with her.

“What about Katherine? Her parents are friends with your parents, aren’t they?”

Klaus grimaced. “Silas is just as bad as my father in his views of the world. Worse, perhaps. Katherine was practically raised together with us, so she did have the same upbringing, but… Katherine is Katherine. She would never do what anyone tells her to do. Especially her father. She doesn’t act the way she acts with you because of your blood status, that’s just the way she is with everyone. Except, occasionally, with Rebekah and Kol.”

Caroline nodded, as if he were just confirming something she already suspected.

And then she began to interrogate him on all things werewolves. How much pain he felt, how he managed to keep it hidden from everyone — apparently Mikael had made huge investments so that a potion to lessen his symptoms to be created —, if the secret room he hid it had been created for him or had always existed…

They spent hours talking, and sometimes straying from the hard stuff and finding themselves laughing over silly jokes or stories.

It was fun and simple and so, so easy.

That was, of course, until Klaus decided to say. “So I believe it’s time you give  _ me  _ some answers, sweetheart.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, frowning.

“Well, you have an interesting story. I want to know what got you here, so I guess we should begin with why you moved in to the other half of the world to be with your father.”

Caroline went very still. Some of the light in her eyes going out.

Klaus watched her avidly even when she avoided his gaze, suddenly very interested on the way her hands were resting on her lap. He had the impression that they would be shaking if they weren’t glued to her legs.

He waited patiently as she took a deep breath and then another, as if debating whether she should tell him. He was just about to tell her that he’d understand if that was a secret she wanted to keep when she said, her voice no more than a whisper, “My mother died.”

It was his turn to go still.

It took him a few moments trying to figure out what to say before he decided that he could offer her nothing better than “I’m sorry.”

They both knew it wasn’t enough.

“Thanks,” she said, tears beginning to pool in her eyes, though she refused to let them fall.

“What happened?” he asked gently, not wanting to press, but she had listened to him talk about his issues all night long, and he wanted to make sure that she knew that he was more than willing to do the same.

“It happened while I was still in Ilvermorny. She was just driving and some drunk idiot smashed into her car. I didn’t… I didn’t get to say goodbye.” She laughed humorlessly. “And well, since she was gone, it just would make sense that I’d move in with my father, but he happens to live in London. So I couldn’t really live in the UK and study in the US, because a) plane tickets are expensive; b) there’s no way in hell all the magical stuff would pass through airport security. Which meant I had to transfer to Hogwarts. And now here I am,” she finished saying before she looked at him and squinted her eyes. “Do you even know what a plane is?”

Klaus scoffed, “I’ll have you know that I took Muggle Studies during third year.”

“Ah, your rebellious phase?” she teased.

He chuckled, but tried not to wince as he remembered the scars he had gotten because of that little act of defiance. “Something like that, sweetheart.”

There was a small smile on her face and he took that as a victory as he reached out to grab her hand, just like she had done for him weeks ago. He squeezed it and she squeezed it back.

He was never good at comforting people. He never knew what to say. Never cared enough to learn it.

But here, with her, he knew that what he was offering her was enough. That, right now, perhaps she just needed someone to hold her hand.

He wasn’t exactly surprised to find out that he was more than willing to be the one doing it.

God, he had met her only a month ago. What was wrong with him?

But when Caroline looked at him and said, “You know, I was thinking that I could… I mean, only if you’d like me to, of course… But I could come find you after the next full moon? I just can’t imagine it’s fun to be alone after that. If you don’t want me to, it’s totally fine, though!”

Well, if something was wrong, he did not want to fix it.

“I’d like that very much, sweetheart.”

The way she smiled at him, though, made him think that maybe things were actually very, very right.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, let me know what you think!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this!

It was weird, all of this.

Weird that there was someone he could trust, someone he could talk to about nearly anything. Weird that he had actually been looking forward to the full moon just so he could spend some time alone with her. Weird that he felt so…  _ happy _ .

But it was hard to mind the pain and the bruises when Caroline Forbes was sitting by his side, a huge smile on her face as she talked enthusiastically about this muggle TV show she loved — and yes, he knew what those were. Did she think he hadn’t paid attention to his Muggle Studies classes?

“... so Joffrey—”

“The biggest asshole on the planet who deserves to suffer for a million years before he dies the most painful death anyone has ever experienced?” Klaus teased, repeating her exact words from only moments ago.

It earned him an eye-roll from her, and he smirked as he got the reaction he had been hoping for. Her exasperation — even if half-hearted — was incredibly delightful.

“At least I know you are paying attention,” she said, looking concerned for a moment as she sighed. “Sorry, I know I haven’t shut up since I got here.”

He shook his head. “Don’t apologize. I do appreciate the company… Even if you are one of those insufferable people who are cheerful before 7am.”

Caroline shoved him playfully, but it still made him wince, his body still sore from transforming into a werewolf then back into human form. Her eyes widened as she remembered that. “Shit! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it,” he assured her.

She offered him an apologetic smile anyway. “Okay. But I’ll have you know that I’m not usually a morning person. Well, I am fine after coffee. Still, I believe that if you’re going to do something, you have to do it right. So I was not about to offer you my company only to show up here all grumpy and stuff.”

He smirked. “Of course. I figured you would be a perfectionist.”

“Do keep that in mind tomorrow.”

Klaus frowned, feeling a bit confused. “What’s tomorrow?”

“Quidditch tryouts? Slytherin needs a seeker, right?” she asked, and he could tell that she was a bit nervous about bringing it up to him, though he couldn’t quite figure out why.

He broke into a smile. He could not be so lucky, could he? “You want to join the team?”

She nodded. “I played back in Ilvermorny, and I was really good at it,” she said determinedly, and he heard the pride in her voice, saw the way she straightened her spine.

Yes, he could see that. And it would be good to have her on the team… Having a few excuses to spend time with her without anyone saying anything, or worse, telling Mikael. The past few weeks had been full of rushed moments between them, and he tried his best to make them all seem random and not at all planned… 

But he didn’t want to be able to talk to her only when they happened to sit close to each other during a meal or in the common room. The sunshine smiles she offered him when they passed by each other were not enough, he wanted more. And yet, he knew he was already rousing suspicion. At least Kol seemed to always be looking at them as if he knew their polite exchanges had more meaning beneath the surface.

So, yes, having the excuse to spend hours with her every week? That seemed almost too good to be true.

Plus, it would make things easier for her as well. If she helped them win the Quidditch Cup, he doubted anyone would care about whether she was muggle born or pure-blooded.

Slytherin cared about results, after all.

“I guess we’ll see about that,” he challenged, eyebrows raised at her.

She scoffed, rising to the bait if the sparks in her eyes were any indication. And he realized, not really surprised by the discovery, that he could easily spend the day here with her. Teasing her, memorising her reactions, her smiles…

It pained him a bit that she chose that moment to stand up, heading to the door. He knew the school nurse would soon be here to see him and that it would be best if she wasn’t around, but it was still disappointing.

And yet, his heart skipped a beat when she turned around once her hand touched the doorknob, the fire in her eyes making something stir inside of him. She had a wicked smile on her lips.

“Yes, we will.”

* * *

 

It had been months since she had last flown.

It had been months since she had felt so… free.

Up here, she could forget about all of her problems. She didn’t have to remember anything about the past couple of months, none of it could reach her. She flew too fast for her memories or problems to catch up with her. Up here, it was just her and that tiny, golden, flying ball.

It was the only moment she ever truly let go. The only moment where she didn’t have to worry about or plan for… She just had to focus on the tell-tale faint sound of beating wings, the fast, golden blur that she would see with the corner of her eyes.

Nothing else mattered. Just her and the golden snitch.

Caroline didn’t care if this way a tryout, didn’t care the some of her housemates had sneered at her or whispered about her when they saw her carrying her broomstick to the Quidditch pitch. She didn’t care if they thought she wasn’t going to be good enough.

She would prove them all wrong, anyway.

And the way Klaus had secretly smiled at her before they took flight… Well, that was enough to drive the thoughts about small minded people far, far away from her mind.

Now, driving  _ Klaus _ out of her mind proved to be much more difficult, but it was nothing she couldn’t accomplish. Not when so much was at stake.

There was no way she would not be a part of this Quidditch team. She needed the freedom, the distraction. The sweet taste of winning a match. She needed to train for hours, no matter the weather, until her fingers were numb and her eyes tired… She needed to go back to her dorm room and pass out from exhaustion.

And, damn her, she needed to make every single one of those stupid pure-blooded elitists swallow their words as they were forced to cheer for her when she drove them to victory.

And, well, she could do with spending some extra time with Klaus as well. Away from all the gossip… And his meddling siblings.

Rebekah — who barely ever spoke to her — had now mentioned twice how well they seemed to get along after she saw them talking during dinner. And Kol was not discreet at all about watching them avidly whenever they were anywhere near each other… He had also made it a habit to point out girls in the corridor who had apparently been his brother’s past flings.

Caroline ignored them both. She didn’t want to  _ date _ Klaus. There was nothing romantic going on, not really. They were just friends. Confidents, if you will. There was a special connection that came with holding each other’s secrets, but, even if she did have a very tiny crush on him, nothing would ever happen.

She didn’t allow herself any time to wonder why that felt like a lie, because Klaus gave the sign and the golden snitch was released.

There were four people trying out for the seeker position, and Klaus had decided that they would all fly together, and whoever caught the snitch first would secure their place in the Slytherin quidditch team.

She ignored her competition, knowing that she had the advantage. After all, while they could’ve been playing for a long while, none of them had ever been a part of a real team. And she had spent the past five years being in one, training hours and hours and playing under bright sun and heavy rain.

Her firebolt — her father did enjoy making up for his bad parenting by giving her expensive gifts, even if he didn’t quite understand them — flew as if it could read her mind. She got up to a higher position, examining the air beneath her with careful eyes.

Until a hint of movement caught her attention.

Caroline didn’t hesitate, diving hard and fast as her eyes locked onto the snitch. She knew one of the girls trying out for the team caught on to what she was doing and began chasing her, but it hardly mattered. She was better, faster. And, most of all, she needed this as much as she needed oxygen.

No one wanted this like she did. No one would fight harder for it.

A smile spread across her face as she stretched out her arm, leaning in just a bit to go a little faster and — her fingers touched the cold metal. She didn’t hesitate to close her hand around the small ball.

She had to fight down the urge to burst out laughing as pure bliss washed over her. She could cry right now, but she would never let any of these people see her shed a single tear.

She made her way back to the ground, and lost her inner battle against her petty side as she couldn’t help to offer a saccharine smile to the people in the bleachers who had come to watch the tryouts. She wondered how many of them had hoped she would’ve fallen from her broomstick… Truly, she was surprised no one had cursed her.

“Yes!” Kol yelled, running to her so that he could lift her up in his arms as he spun her around. He was on the team, too. A beater. “I always knew you had it in you, darling! Congratulations.”

Caroline was grinning widely when he let her go, though she still rolled her eyes when he ruffled her hair.

“Thanks,” she said, her voice showing all of her excitement.

Her eyes lit up as Klaus made their way to them. He was smiling at her, too, but he only offered her his hand to shook as he said, “Congratulations, sweetheart. You flew beautifully… You’ll be a wonderful addition to our team.”

She could tell that he meant it. And even if she already knew all that… Somehow it still made her blush.

“You cannot be serious!” a loud, high-pitched voice echoed from behind her.  _ Aurora _ . She was in Klaus’s year and Caroline was pretty sure she had only come here today to try and get his attention. “You cannot possibly want this mudblood in our team!”

Caroline blinked a few times, feeling completely surprised by the other girl’s words before she turned to face her.

No matter how unpleasant people had been towards her so far… They had whispered and laughed and mocked… But no one had called her a mudblood up until that moment.

Her voice grew cold. “What did you say?”

She was very aware of her wand in her inner pocket. Her hand was itching to grab it and hex Aurora with the worst spell she could think of… But she also felt a bit paralyzed. She couldn’t believe that she had actually used the magical world equivalent of a racial slur.

“You heard me. Klaus will never let a dirty mudblood like you play for Slytherin. You don’t deserve the honour to-”

“I suggest you shut up right now,” Klaus interrupted her, walking past Caroline and towards Aurora. The rage in his voice made her wince. “I will not tolerate anyone from my team being mistreated. I thought you all wanted to win the Cup?” he asked, turning towards the small audience they had, who began to mumble affirmatively. “Very well, then. Harassing my players will not help us achieve that goal. And I will be most upset if I lose a qualified seeker because of any of you… You’ll do well in remember that.”

He said the last part looking at Aurora, who swallowed, looking a bit petrified. But she nodded before she stormed away.

What he had said… Had he just threatened the entire Slytherin house so that they would back off? And did people actually take it seriously enough to do as he said?

Caroline was stuck between grateful and annoyed when he turned back to her. Kol was looking at them again, seeming very interested in what had happened. They both ignored him.

“I can defend myself,” she told him quietly, so that only he would hear. “But thank you.”

There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to look further into it. “Tell me if anyone bothers you,” was all he said.

Then he requested the rest of team joined them, simply telling them when their first training session would take place.

Caroline was surprised to see some faces smiling at her.

* * *

 

“Is everything alright, love?”

Her eyes snapped up from her scrambled eggs to meet his. She look a bit startled, but offered him a small smile. “Yeah. I’m just a little anxious.”

His gaze didn’t leave her face, though she immediately avoided it. He was quite certain she was lying to him. After all, he was sure she was his most enthusiastic player and he had yet to see her feel nervous when it came to quidditch. Her confidence rivaled his own.

Granted, it would be their first match of the season, and the Ravenclaw team was pretty good, but… He had gotten good at reading her these past few weeks, and he didn’t think that today’s game had anything to do with the distracted look on her face.

And he had the impression he had seen a hint of sadness in her eyes before she’d looked away.

She hadn’t told him of anything afflicting her when they met a couple of days ago after another full moon, and she had seemed fine by then.

He exchanged a worried look with Kol, who seemed to have noticed something was off as well, but his brother shook his head to say that he also didn’t know what was going on.

“Come now, darling, we can’t have that today. Weren’t you the one who was looking particularly delighted by the thought of kicking some serious Ravenclaw ass? Where is that mean, competitive streak of yours?” Kol asked, nudging her with his elbow playfully.

Klaus watched her reaction closely, feeling a bit relieved when she retaliated, unable to keep from grinning because he knew that Kol wasn’t completely faking his reaction when he complained loudly about the pain on his ribs.

“If you think for a moment that I will not catch that snitch, then maybe—”

“No one thinks you won’t catch the snitch, Caroline,” Klaus assured her quickly. “We  _ know _ we will win. And we know that  _ you  _ will secure us that victory.”

He was glad she didn’t look away as he said that. He needed her to know that he fully believed in his words… That he fully believed in her. She was an amazing player, after all. Definitely the best seeker he had ever worked with.

She worked harder than anyone else, never complained about practice, even if it went late and she had to plan her studying for her o.w.l.’s around it. She worked well with the team, and she was now well respected by all of the other players, and soon by all of Slytherin if they won this game. She was, of course, a little stubborn, and sometimes he felt like she was half-tempted to steal his place as the captain just so that she order everyone around — and she did sometimes order everyone around no matter what —, but he had been right. She had been an amazing addition to the team.

“Damn right she will catch the snitch,” Katherine said as she sat beside Caroline, who looked surprised at the encouraging words. “Have you eaten enough? Kol could ask for something in the kitchen if the options are not to your tastes this morning.”

Everyone looked at her as if she were crazy, and Caroline couldn’t help stuttering a confused “W-What?”

Klaus raised his brows at her, and she just shrugged. “I bet good money that we would win, so you better capture that ridiculous flying ball. Do you understand me?”

That made Caroline smile. “Oh, thank God. If you were actually being nice to me, that probably meant I was in a parallel universe. What if it was one where we actually had a chance of losing this game?”

Katherine rolled her eyes while the others laughed. “Cute.”

“Oh, look! Mail!” Kol said excitedly, and Klaus made a mental note to keep an eye out for his brother during the next few days. The only reason he would get excited about the owls coming into the Great Hall was if he thought he would be getting a special delivery… Probably dungbombs.

Paying attention to his brother, he almost missed how Caroline froze in her seat, and he was sure he heard her mutter, “ _ Oh, no. _ ”

Intrigued by her reaction, he was surprised when she received, well,  _ a lot _ of mail. There were many letters and a few packages covered in festive wrapping paper. Gifts. She was receiving gifts. Which meant…

“It’s your Birthday,” he said quietly, his eyes locked on a Birthday card. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

She looked around, wincing as she realized that everyone seemed to be staring at her. “Because it’s not a big deal!”

Katherine scoffed. “Yeah, because you totally look like the kind of girl who doesn’t care about her Birthday and doesn’t want to be spoiled for the entire week.”

“You don’t know me!” she snapped.

Everyone fell silent, including Katherine, which was most impressive.

Klaus tried to meet her eyes again, hoping he could get a clue as to why she had been so bothered about the fact that it was her Birthday, and why she was angry now that everyone knew. He wondered if it had to with the letter she wouldn’t receive this year, the gift that wouldn’t arrive.

“Excuse me,” she said, quickly standing up and pointing her wand at the things she had received, making them disappear.

Her steps echoed loudly as she made her way to the door. It took everything in him not to follow her.

* * *

 

They had won. 170 to 10.

And the feeling of capturing the snitch accompanied by the roaring of the crowds… She had felt so, so happy. And when they made their way to the ground, the way Klaus beamed at her had made her feel warm.

Every player in the team came to congratulate her on the catch, some hugging her in celebration, others just smiling proudly. But it had felt perfect to know that, in that moment, it didn’t matter who her parents were. She was one of them.

And that sentiment towards her extended to her other housemates. No one looked at her as if she didn’t matter or was beneath them, everyone seemed happy to see her. They’d smile and congratulate and  _ thank _ her for the victory.

And it felt so good.

Even if she would never fully trust them, even if she would never want them as friends… The fact that for that one night she could rest from the exhausting task of being constantly watching her back. That she could feel like she belonged there.

It was a good Birthday gift, she figured.

The party going on in their common room was nice, and she did appreciate that Kol had turned it into half a victory party and half a Birthday party for her, going as far as carrying her in his shoulders yelling, “Make way for the Birthday girl who just destroyed Ravenclaw for us!”

And she had laughed, genuinely surprised at how many people cheered at that.

But still… It felt weird. Celebrating anything didn’t quite feel right, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She knew it was silly, that today was a happy day and she didn’t have a reason to feel sad, but she couldn’t help it.

She would still try her best to wear her bubbly persona armour. She had always been good at it, after all, and she didn’t want Klaus and Kol looking her way with the worried eyes again.

So she smiled a lot, ate the food someone had sneaked into the common room, and acted like this was a perfect day. Because it had been, even if she wasn’t in the right mood to enjoy it.

“Thank you for winning the game, Forbes,” Katherine said, shaking a small purse that was probably filled with money, judging by the chinking sound it made. The smile she offered her was genuine, and Caroline found herself returning it.

“Well, I couldn’t make you lose a bet, could I? How would your reputation stand that?” she teased.

“Indeed,” Katherine said, raising her glass at her. She was about to turn away when she paused, looking at Caroline for a few seconds before she added, “Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks.”

She watched her roommate walk away, and she couldn’t help but feel rather satisfied at their progress. Acquaintances with a small grasp at politeness? She could deal with that. And it was much better than ignoring each other’s existence, wasn’t it?

“Now that you’ve fallen on everyone’s graces, do try not to forget about your old friends,” Klaus said from behind her, and she knew he would be smirking before she turned around to look at him.

She sighed dramatically. “I’ll try to, but I make no promises.”

He grinned at her in that way that made her heart stop for a second. “You played really well today.”

“So did you,” she said honestly. Ravenclaw had only been able to score once, and only because he had been too busy avoiding a bludger.

It was weird how the rest of the room seemed to quiet down now that he was near. The rest of the world, really. They weren’t even deep into one of their conversations… It was just him, his presence. She had come to find it comforting these past few weeks.

“How unhappy are you with everyone celebrating your Birthday?” he asked.

He had also come to known her better than anyone else in Hogwarts. She shouldn’t be surprised that he had noticed she wasn’t enjoying herself as much as she was pretending to.

“I’m not unhappy… Not really. It’s just… I think I wanted a quiet one this year.”

Klaus nodded, as if he understood. She wondered if he too had felt this way after what happened to his brother.

“Why don’t we go somewhere quiet?” he suggested. “I don’t think anyone will notice.”

Kol had just come back from the kitchen with more snacks and the attention of the room was, indeed, elsewhere. It would the perfect opportunity to just slip away without anyone thinking anything of it.

So she nodded, letting him lead her towards the stairwell that led to the boys dorm rooms. They sat on the same step, the sides of their bodies touching. And after all the excitement of today, that was what made her heart truly race.

Still, he was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to start speaking, so she did.

“It’s hard being happy after she died. It’s hard  _ wanting _ to be happy… It feels wrong, you know? Like I’m betraying her or something. And I know it’s stupid, and I know she wouldn’t want me to feel this way, but I just do. And I… I miss her. So much. We weren’t even that close. I mean, after my father left us, she decided to marry her job. She was never home, and then I went to Hogwarts and we would only see each other on holidays and during the summer… And… And it’s so easy to pretend that she’s still alive. That this is just me being at school and I will see her when I get home. But today I can’t do that. Today I  _ know _ . I can’t not be reminded that she’s gone, because she didn’t send me a Birthday card or— or the box full of muggle stuff that I love. Chocolate and candy and this delicious cake that this woman makes back in my hometown… And it sucks.”

He listened patiently to her rambling, and she was so, so grateful for him. For having someone to talk to today… Someone to hold her hand, as he did seconds after she was done talking, squeezing it tightly.

“I don’t think there is anything I can say that will make you feel better, Caroline. And I don’t think there is anything wrong with feeling the way that you are. You are supposed to be sad, and you are supposed to miss her, and it is supposed to be hard to move on. And time is also supposed to heal all wounds, isn’t it? It’ll get better.”

She had a feeling he saying it to himself as much as he was saying it to her.

“I hope so.”

Klaus reached out to cup her cheek with his free hand, and he leaned in slightly. “In the meantime, you try to be happy for her, because that’s what she would want you to do. No matter how hard it is, you try.”

Caroline closed her eyes, leaning in to his touch. Her voice broke as she said, “I know.”

Then he pulled her into a tight hug, and she held him close. She knew him for a little over a month, and he already had the power to calm her just like this. She felt safe like this, in his arms. Like things would indeed be okay.

They stood like there for many moments, but, eventually, he pulled back, though he still stayed close, his face only a few inches away from hers.

“Happy Birthday, Caroline,” he said softly.

And then he leaned in, pressing his lips against her cheek.

Before she could react, before she could even think… Hell, before he even had the chance to pull back, they heard someone gasping and quickly jumped apart.

Rebekah was on the bottom of the stairs, staring at them with wide eyes.

“They are looking for you,” she said, looking at Caroline. “Kol brought cake and he insists you blow the candles.”

She stood up quickly, trying and failing not to blush. “I- Uh, okay. Thanks.”

Rebekah didn’t take her eyes off her as she walked down the stairs and past her, making her way back to the party. She didn’t dare look back to see the look on Klaus’s face.

_ Shit. _

* * *

 

It was way past midnight when the prefects finally called the party off and she made her way back into her dorm room.

Katherine seemed to be on the group of people who decided to continue their little reunion regardless, because she wasn’t there when Caroline closed the door behind her… But Rebekah was. And by the look on her face, she didn’t seem about to ignore what had happened.

“So, are you going to tell me what is going on with you and my brother?” she asked, her voice cold… But not colder than usual. Caroline took it as a good sign.

“There is nothing going on. I mean, we are friends, I guess. But that’s it.”

Rebekah raised her brows at her, clearly unconvinced. Her snort was rather unlady-like and Caroline fought down the urge to point it out. “Really? It didn’t seem like it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Look, I don’t owe you any explanation about my life and who I befriend, okay? But if you must know, I was upset about something and Klaus noticed it and came to talk to me about it. What you saw was just him comforting me.”

Instead of being disinterested, Rebekah frowned. “Nik doesn’t do that. He doesn’t go around making friends and  _ comforting _ them.”

“Is it really that hard for you to believe that someone in your family might like me?” she asked exasperatedly.

“I have an issue with Nik doing so, yes!” Rebekah replied in an equal tone. “Because he doesn’t do that, ever! Why are you the exception? I mean, I’ve seen the way he looks at you, but I never thought that he would act on it.”

It was Caroline’s time to be confused. The way he looked at  _ her _ ?

“What on Earth are you talking about?”

“Please,” she said, crossing her arm in front of her body. “I know you’re not stupid. He likes you.”

Caroline didn’t understand a thing. Wasn’t that the point she was trying to make and that Rebekah had been trying so desperately to refute? She shook her head. “Of course he does. We’re friends!”

“I mean he  _ likes _ you.”

Oh.

“I don’t— It’s not like that!” she protested, though she wished her heart wasn’t racing and her stomach fluttering. “We are just friends, okay?”

Rebekah smiled at her. And, for the first time, that smile wasn’t meant to anger her or taunt her or belittle her. She was simply amused, and she shook her head as if she couldn’t believe this was happening.

“If you say so,” she granted, though she didn’t seem to have been convinced at all.

“I’m serious!” Caroline insisted, knowing that she probably shouldn’t react at all to what Rebekah was insinuating, and that the way she was  vehemently trying to deny it only made the whole thing more suspicious, but she couldn’t help it.

But the other girl said, though she was still grinning like a fool, “Oh, I know you are.”

Caroline didn’t reply to that, choosing to simply lie down and wait until Rebekah was done getting ready for bed before they turned off the lights.

Her head wouldn’t stop spinning, though. The day had been exhausting… With the match, and the party, and talking to Klaus and now this discussion with his sister. And as tired as she was, she simply couldn’t turn off her mind.

And, apparently, neither could Rebekah, because much silent time had passed between them before she broke it, her voice soft as she called, “Caroline?”

“Yeah?”

“Happy Birthday.”

Caroline felt strangely touched by that. Enough that she didn’t bother pointing out that technically it wasn’t her Birthday anymore — even if she felt like Rebekah kind of deserved her pettiness after everything.

Instead, she found herself saying, “Thank you. Uh, good night.”

“Good night.”

It still took her a long while to fall asleep after that, her brain still too caught up on what Rebekah had said about Klaus. That he liked her. Which just wasn’t true. She was his friend. They kept each other secrets. No romance there. None whatsoever. Rebekah had just misread the situation entirely, and Caroline couldn’t very well explain to her about the nature of her relationship with her brother.

All of those thoughts felt once more like the biggest lie when she woke up, and found a drawing lying on top of her blanket.

A drawing of her catching the snitch during yesterday’s game. A magical drawing, because it moved, showing the exact moment her finger wrapped around the golden ball. Showing the triumph and happiness in her eyes… The amount of detail in it… She wasn’t sure she was breathing.

She knew who had made it before she turned to see the other side, where it simply said, “Happy Birthday” and Klaus’s name was signed on the right bottom corner.

She smiled, knowing that he must have spent a good few hours last night doing it.

Knowing that maybe Rebekah wasn’t so wrong, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts!!


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